Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday and said it was time to dissuade "Israel" from carrying out attacks such as its air strikes on Syria over the past week.

"The time has come to dissuade the "Israeli" occupier from carrying out such aggression against the peoples of the region," he said, quoted by Syrian television after his arrival in Damascus on a previously unannounced visit.

Salehi further stated: "Iran stands at the side of Syria in the face of "Israeli" aggression, whose aim is to damage the security of the region and weaken the axis of resistance."

"We are fully confident that Syria will emerge victorious from the crisis," Salehi said.

The visit follows "Israeli" raids on Friday and Sunday against military targets near Damascus, including sites which "Israeli" sources said held arms from Iran bound for its Hizbullah allies in Lebanon.

Al-Assad, also quoted on state television, said the "Israeli" attacks were clear proof of "the implication of "Israel" and regional and Western countries in the armed revolt in Syria."

"The Syrian people and their valiant army are capable of confronting the "Israeli" adventures, which are one of the faces of terrorism targeting Syria every day," the Syrian President added.

He further confirmed: "The recent "Israeli" aggressions expose the size of the complicity between the "Israeli" occupation, regional countries, and the West in backing the current events in Syria."

And at a joint press conference with Salehi, his Syrian counterpart Walid Moallem said: "We have now been at war for two years. We are not afraid and we will not remain silent in the face of aggression."

In the Jordanian capital earlier on Tuesday, Iran's top diplomat called for dialogue between the Syrian regime and peaceful opposition groups, warning that the impact of the conflict would affect the entire region.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org